let me finish tonight with this. i end where i began with the obama doctrine at home and abroad. imagine another president speaking with seneca falls and stone wall with pride. imagine another wrapping himself into the history of struggle for women, for blacks, for gay people all with a kind of storied celebration. yes, we've come far. now let's go though distance. the word here is "we."

didn't hear any of that on the capitol steps. didn't hear fighters for women being portrayed as suffrages. didn't hear gay people standing up for their right to be here on god's earth. no. they all belong here. they are among us, they have of us, a good and worthy part of us. it was an astounding speech. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris. and thanks to you for tuning in. tonight's lead. taking the fight to the gop. the president spent the morning at his final inaugural event. a prayer service at the national cathedral. meantime, republicans spent the morning complaining. complaining that his inaugural address was too tough, too strong, not enough olive branches. apparently their feelings were

hurt. senator mccain says quote, i would have liked to have seen some more outreach. senator thune says he wasn't doing the kind of outreach he needs to do. senator collins says i had hoped his speech would be a little less partisan. senator portman says he missed an opportunity to talk about where we can find common ground. common ground, senator? republicans spent four years not compromising. and not wanting to be on any ground. common or not. with this president. and now they accuse him of not compromising? president obama has learned the lessons of four years of power politics and how to make republicans ied logs sit up and listen. >> medicare and medicaid and social security. these do not zap our initiative. they strengthen us.

they do not make us a nation of takers. they free us to take the risks that make this country great. >> you got that, tea partiers? the president went right after the cynical romney/ryan republican view of the world. makers versus takers. calling out the extremists who refuse to listen to the american people. >> we cannot mistake absolutism for principle. or substitute spectacle for politics. or treat name calling as reasoned debate. >> this was a big speech of real vision. and the president made it clear he's ready to fight at their own game because the people are worth fighting for. >> for we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.

we are true to our creed when a little girl born into poverty knows she has the same chance as anybody else to have a future because she is free and equal in the eyes of god and also in our own. >>. >> joining me now, steve kornacki and krystal ball, co-hosts of "the cycle" here on msnbc. thanks for joining me. >> thank you for having us. >> the man once talked about ending the partisan divide accepted that republicans in washington seem to respond better to power politics, it seems. >> there are some things you cannot change. and i think that's one of the things that we learned is in the first four years republicans decided their only goal really was to obstruct and oppose him. and if you don't have a willing partner on the other side of a negotiating table, it doesn't matter how many olive branches you extend. if there's not a hand willing to reach back, then it's not going

to be helpful. nothing good is going to come out of it. and i think he also realized the power of taking the case to the american people. you know, this speech was boldly progressive. it outlined a progressive vision for the country. when you think of the individual elements eluding to immigration reform, voting rights. lbgt equality. all of these things individually are not only progressive, they're also extremely popular and quite mainstream now. >> and steve, it's what he was able to galvanize his vote around last year. when you look at gender equality and the vote he got with women. when you look at voter suppression and you talked about the lines which were mostly in african-american communities. and when you look at immigration. those were the pieces of the coalition that really gave him the election so he was saying in many ways he's going to stand up for the very things he ran on. >> the things he ran on, the

things he won on. and when you look at sort of the victory model, the formula that went into the 2012 victory for obama, that's the future of the democratic party and future of america. if the republican party wants to succeed again at the national level, they will have to make inroads to the groups. and here's president obama saying not only did i campaign on these groups but now it's time for me to deliver on these groups. and if they don't meet that challenge -- begin to meet that challenge in some way, all of these groups could be lost to them permanently. >> now, last night on the show, i talked about how there was good reviews, but i didn't think it would last. and before i could get out of the studio, they started -- the republicans -- taking shots. let me show you where respective paul ryan responded to the president's takers comment at

the inaugural address. >> no one is suggesting that our earned entitlements like payroll taxes for medicare and social security are putting u yo in a taker category. when the president does kind of a switcheroo like that, what he's trying to do is we are maligning these programs. so it's kind of a convenient twist of terms to try and shadow box a straw man in order to win by default. >> steve, interpret that for common people like me. because there's a lot of double talk there that i didn't hear him explain it that way when he said it originally. and it doesn't make much sense to me now that he has said this. >> no. and the entire message of the last few years of the republican party whether it's makers versus takers, whether it's the 47% theme. the 47% who supposedly don't pay taxes. they're talking about federal income tax. not state taxes, estate taxes, these sorts of things.

that the republican party ran into this big problem in 2012 where that message alienated people. >> let me show you what he said in 2005 about social security. now he's talking about how people paid in and it's earned. but he said -- let me quote it. it says -- this is a quote. social security right now is a collectivist system. it's a welfare transfer system. this is paul ryan. so if ryan called it a welfare transfer system, now all of a sudden no we weren't calling them takers. and the president, krystal, stepped right in and attacked that. now, in my opinion that wasn't partisan. it was his vision of america. as lyndon johnson had a vision of the great society. it wasn't anti-republican. it was his vision. john kennedy, the new frontier. i think the president from the way i was taking it was saying i think b this is the vision

america needs to go in. but it wasn't for just four years. he said we're not talking four months, four years, or 400 years. >> that's exactly right. and you played the clip talking about how the social safety net allows us to take risks and not fear the failure. other countries don't have that. i spent a lot of time in india where there was such a fear of taking on new initiatives and being entrepreneurial because there wasn't that same safety net in place. that is the progressive vision. let's be real. paul ryan, here's a guy who supports privatizing social security, voucherizing medicare. so the president is not putting up a strawman argument. these are exactly the principles that republicans support. and also republicans have never been comfortable with social security and medicare. they use deficits and debt reduction as an excuse to chip away at it. but it is not about deficits and debt. it's about their discomfort with the programs themselves.

>> and it's about dealing with the challenges right now. one of the most compelling parts of the speech as i sat there listening and watching is when he said with all of the arguments, we must act now. listen to this. >> progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time. but it does require us to act in our time. >> act in our time. and not just get in these long unending debates. martin luther king used to call it the paralysis of analysis. >> we may will be coming to the end of one. with medicare and social security and medicaid. what was so striking about the speech yesterday was that obama -- the lack of an olive branch to republicans that we've heard from him before. when you talk about the summer of 2011, he was talking openly about willing potentially to have a deal that included some

modifications to medicare. there was talk of raising the medicare eligibility age would be on the table. didn't hear anything about that yesterday. and it raises the question of has he now reached a point where no, i'm not going to cut a deal like that anymore with republicans. that's the past. >> krystal, steve, thank you for your time tonight. >> thanks, reverend. >> be sure to catch krystal and steve on "the cycle" right here on msnbc. ahead, 40 years after roe versus wade, abortion rights are under assault in the states. that's next. they're the best political duo going. obama/biden. what's next for them? and everyone is talking about those winning first children. much more on them a little later. and as we go to break, a special moment at an inaugural ball last night. alicia keys on fire, tribute to

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have you joined the "politicsnation" conversation on facebook yet? we hope you will. yesterday's glimpses of malia and sasha obama got our facebook page going with comments and well wishes. mary says they're not the same little girls that they were four years ago. michael says i'm sure we're going to see great things from them in the future. they even inspired folks on the other side of the aisle. lisa says while obama wasn't my

choice, i can't argue how sweet these girls are. more on the first daughters coming up later. but first, we want to hear what you think too. please head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. in america today we're running out of a vital resource we need to compete on the global stage. what we need are people prepared for the careers of our new economy. by 2025 we could have 20 million jobs without enough college graduates to fill them. that's why at devry university, we're teaming up with companies like cisco to help make sure everyone is ready with the know-how we need for a new tomorrow. [ male announcer ] make sure america's ready. make sure you're ready. at devry.edu/knowhow. ♪ it's eb. want to give your family the very best in taste, freshness, and nutrition? it's eb. want to give them more vitamins, omega 3s, and less saturated fat?

it's eb. eggland's best eggs. eb's. the only eggs that make better taste and better nutrition... easy. eggland's best eggs. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. it's eb. it's a day to remember for women es rights. 40 years ago today the supreme court's landmark decision roe versus wade established a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

and today growing support for that right. 70% say roe versus wade should not be overturned. highest percentage ever. and for the first time a majority of americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. but guess what. those numbers may not matter. anti-abortion activists are busy targeting women in the states. there are now only 724 abortion clinics in the country. five states have only one clinic left. these attacks are creating a situation where abortion is legal in america and in some places impossible to get. so today is a day to mark the landmark decision of roe, but the fight continues. joining me now is congresswoman jackie spear, democrat from california. and diane dursis.

the owner of the only mississippi abortion clinic which is fighting to keep its doors open after restrictive abortion law passed. thank you both for joining me. congresswoman speier, it's a big day. big anniversary. big strides have been made. let's put this graphic up again. five states only have one abortion clinic left. it's a protected right. what's going on in these states though? >> well, there's been a systemic effort by the anti-choice community to go into the states and get laws passed to restrict access to abortion. last year and the year before were the worst two years in terms of the more restrictions that were placed on abortion opportunities for women. 135 laws were passed in over 30 states restricting a woman's

right to choose. >> now, diane, when we talk about mississippi, we see that a lot of states and governors are really leading the charge. let me show you how some of the governors around the country are talking about women's right to choose and bors rights. watch this. >> to be clear, my goal and the goal of many of those joining me here today is to make abortion at any stage a thing of the past. >> we're going to continue to try to work to end abortion in mississippi. >> i applaud the committee's work in affirming our respect for human life. well done. >> so when you have governors saying the way they deal with it is by different restrictive legislation and other ways to get around women's rights. if you have a right that you can't exercise, it's like not

having the right at all. >> absolutely correct. the war is definitely on the state level now. we're seeing women in mississippi being impacted. this law that we cannot comply with would in effect close this clinic. so while roe v. wade is still the law of the land, it is totally inaccessible in the state of mississippi. >> tell me your story. tell me what happened to you, diane, so people around the country and i can really understand how this works on the ground. >> each year they have introduced legislation which we have been able to comply with. so we have a transfer agreement with a local hospital. we have a backup physician who has admitting privileges. last year they passed a law that would require each physician who worked in the clinic to have admitting privileges. that was not to -- every hospital turned us down. we already have admitting privileges. hospitals are now going towards hospitalists. this is something that only

applies to abortion clinics. the state knew the hospitals wouldn't give them. of course when they didn't, we are now not in compliance with the law. >> so they set up situations, congresswoman, at a state level that they know would be very difficult if not impossible for the clinics to meet. so in effect they have null and voided the constitutional right of women to choose at a state level. >> that's correct. as you pointed out, it is at a time when americans recognize that this campaign on the other side to unravel the rights and obligations that exist under the law for women in this country are being played with in a manner that is really very dangerous. you know, the first bill that was introduced in the last congress was hr-1. that was a bill to take $300 million away from planned parenthood. and that bill and many others were introduced over and over

again in the last congress. i think the american people get it now, and they don't want this going on. this is a decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor. it should be safe, effective, and rare. but that's where it should end. >> the polls say the american people has it. but how do you fight it? they've got their ducks lined up this year. 19 states have both republican state legislatures with an anti-choice governor. how do we fight all of this politically on the ground in different states, congress woman? >> well, it actually has to be fought by women and men who recognize that there is a serious threat to their right to make this decision on a private matter. this is just another example of some of my colleagues wanting to get into our collective bedrooms where they have no business whatsoever. it can't be fought here in washington right now. but it certainly can be fought on the ground in states across this country. >> well, you're one of those

states, diane, in mississippi. certainly there's a collective threat there. what's your next step? what is your strategy? how do you fight this and mobilize people around this in mississippi? >> well, we're definitely in the courts, but i think as the congresswoman pointed out, that is not where we need to be. the women and men in these states need to be calling and demanding that their representatives and their legislators leave this business alone. and get back to taking care of the economic situation in this country, get out of our bedrooms. she's absolutely right. and the next election is absolutely crucial. the fact that thank goodness we've re-elected president obama. but that doesn't help us on a state level right now. >> well, i'm going to have to leave it there, but the fight continues. congresswoman jackie speier and diane derzis, thank you both for your time. diane, good look to you and your clinic. >> thank you for having me on. >> thank you again. coming up, inside the

obama/biden relationship. they are quite a team. and the right wingers and science don't mix. we're going to do the "politicsnation" science lab. you don't want to miss this. ♪

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♪ thank you, thank you. and welcome to the "politicsnation" science lab. we've got a lot of experiments cooking tonight. but i don't need these beakers to give one very special lesson. it's for all of my republican friends who struggle with science. and wow. it's a growing list. first there was this member of the house science committee. >> all that stuff i was taught

about evolution, big bang theory and all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. >> evolution is alive. then there was todd akin. yeah, he missed biology 101. >> if it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. >> well, he got shut down. but that brings me to the issue of climate change. president obama is confronting the mad scientists head on. >> we will respond to the threat of climate change knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. >> he went on to hit the climate deniers for ignoring the fact that extreme weather is happening before our eyes. so guess what the right wing talkers did this morning. deny, deny, deny.

>> i hardly think it settled scientific collective thought that the world is a victim of climate change due to industrialization. >> you heard the speech. the direct quote was that the science proves -- >> but it doesn't. >> i'm just saying that's what he said. >> there's no collective thought that climate change is due to humans? here's an idea. let's find out what real scientists think about it. a study by the u.n.'s intergovernmental panel on climate change found a 90% probability that the humans are the main cause of global warming. and more than 97% of climate researchers, yes real researchers, surveyed by the u.s. academy of science thinks humans are causing climate change. folks, unlike the "politicsnation" science lab, this issue is real. climate change needs to be addressed. the results of today's

experiments are in. republicans and facts don't mix. this has been a special edition of the "politicsnation" science lab. ♪ jenna shared her recipe with sharon, who emailed it to emily, who sent it to cindy, who wondered why her soup wasn't quite the same. the recipe's not the recipe... ohhh. [ female announcer ] ...without swanson. the broth cooks trust most when making soup. mmmm! [ female announcer ] the secret is swanson. if your a man with low testosterone, mmmm! you should know that axiron is here. the only underarm treatment for low t. that's right, the one you apply to the underarm. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact.

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action for all americans. but as he's been appealing to those outside of the beltway, his vice president has been working the inside game. playing the role of the ultimate politician has been a strategy and a relationship that's worked on winding down the war in iraq, on dealing with the fiscal cliff, on pushing for gun legislation. and it's one the president praised yesterday. >> to my vice president who has not only been an extraordinary partner but an extraordinary friend. >> that's the mutual admiration and respect that's been years in the making. whatever they're doing works for them and for the country. joining me now is jamal simmons and michelle cottle for the daily beast. she wrote an article, joe biden

the listener. thank you both for joining me tonight. >> good to be here. >> thanks, rev. >> michelle, let me go to you first. what about this relationship works so well? >> very early on it was established that makes a great compliment for obama. but also persona. he's kind of warmer and more emotional than the president who's seen as cool and cerebral. highway has a lot of inside the beltway experience especially when it comes to dealing with capitol hill which president obama does not like to go up there a lot. and he plays a mean kind of inside game with careful negotiations whether it's the fiscal cliff or dealing with iraq or any number of diplomatic issues like dealing with the incoming chinese president. he's called on to handle these assignments. and it's worked out pretty well for the obama administration in a lot of different areas. >> now, jamal, a good manager

knows how to deal with his team. and you know the president's team well. he goes to different people to do different things. what is the key to joe biden's role and how it applies to the overall obama team and the obama administration? >> that's exactly right. i look at the president as the quarterback of the team and he's the hub and everybody else is the spokes on this wheel. jarrett is reaching out to other business ceos. and neighbors is dealing with congress. but i think vice president biden plays a very key role inside the administration. he understands how the town works. like michelle was saying he hugs people and grabs them by the shoulders and looks them in the eye, that sort of stuff. he's also a guy the president has an extraordinary amount of confidence in. he could go in any room and speak on behalf of the administration.

he's actually carrying a message the president wants delivered. that's an invaluable resource for the white house. >> now, michelle, vice president biden spoke this week about why he and the president work so well together. take a listen. >> we made a deal early on. when either of us are dissatisfied, we flat tell the other person. >> he says joe you shouldn't have done that? >> he says joe, look, i don't agree with the way you did that. why did you do "a," "b," "c" or "d." or he or i will say i don't like the way this is going. so there's complete openness. >> what do you think, michelle? the complete openness? the candor? that comes when you have a lot of trust and can talk to each other like that, i would imagine. >> well, look. one of the things you hear from biden's fans and detractors alike is you never have to worry about him not telling you what is on his mind.

he is going to tell you what he thinks. talked to david axelrod and valerie jarrett, they will tell you. his strength is his weakness. people talk about how he'll say what's on his mind but this comes in handy when you're the president and you need to know the full story on things. so the deal they made was biden would be the last guy in the room and he would give his two cents on whether or not it got listened to or not or acted on. he would have had his say. and the president would trust him to kind of tell him the straight story. >> rev, you know how this works. it's the president of the united states. not a lot of people are giving you bad news every day. if you think someone's got the gravitas like joe biden saying listen i don't think this is going so well. here's what we ought to be doing instead. i think you've got to value that. my experience has been the politicians who value the ones who tell the truth to your vase are the ones who are more

successful in life. >> now, jamal, there's a lot of talk about 2016 even now. and vice president biden's name is among much of the discussion. and we're seeing him courting groups that could be important. he spoke with the iowa inaugural ball on saturday. he attended the latino inaugural celebration on sunday. he invited the new hampshire governor to his private swearing in. he selected justice sonia sotomayor to administer his oath. and we had to look -- we couldn't help it -- at how he kept breaking from the parade last night and clapping a little harder for the iowa floats. what do you think? >> first of all, that was great to watch yesterday. it was like a -- he was a parade all of his own out there.

float all of his own. i think he's thinking about it. and we're democrats. so we don't anoint anybody the next nominee, but i will tell you, the name on the lips of most democrats in this country is hillary clinton. and secretary clinton is going to have the fight right or refusal here to decide what she wants to do. if vice president biden decides to go, he's going with a lot of wind in his face. i'm just not sure that's the fight most democrats want to have. >> michelle, if biden goes, and hillary clinton does not, does the president seem obligated to support him? or does the president stay out of it and biden just by the president and by the assumption he's close to the president, he's the president's voice. >> it's going to become an every hand on deck next time if hillary doesn't run. you know, you can't count biden out as much as his moment may have passed in the eyes of some.

these guys wake up every morning hearing hail to the chief to the moment they drop dead. so you never know. >> jamal simmons and michelle cottle, thank you for your time this evening. >> thanks. still ahead, as the president was taking the oath of office, some republicans were sinking to a brand new low. and the amazing first children have everyone talking today. keep it right here on "politicsnation." ♪

. at the commander in chief ball last night, president obama brought out his special guest. >> i said today at the lunch over at the congress that some may dispute the quality of our president, but nobody disputes the quality of our first lady. ladies and gentlemen, my better half and my dance partner, michelle obama.

[ cheers and applause ] >> so what was their first song? any guesses? we know the president likes this one. ♪ i so in love with you >> we all remember the president singing al green's classic "let's stay together" at a fund raiser last year. so really, was there a better choice? jennifer hudson straight from their hometown of chicago did the honors. ♪ i'm so in love with you ♪ whatever you want to do ♪ is all right with me >> the first family and their amazing kids. that's next. ♪

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everyone is talking about the first children malia and sasha obama. cameras caught them having a blast with their parents watching the sprad. it was a very real look into their world. and it was fun to see. right there in the reviewing stand, sasha took pictures of her parents kissing. 14-year-old malia making funny facing and clowning around for some friends. and on sunday, 11-year-old sasha had the line of the day after her father took the oath of office. >> good job, dad. >> i did it. >> you didn't mess up. >> all right. thank you, everybody. >> yeah. good job, dad. we've all watched the obama children grow before our eyes, but we rarely see them like we did yesterday. and no matter what your politics, you have to be so have

proud of our first daughters. joining me now is kelly wallace, chief correspondent of ivillage. last summer the first lady gave kelly a personal look inside her life in an exclusive interview for ivillage. and teresa wilts, deputy editor of "essence" magazine. they recently published a special issue salute to the first lady. thank you both for being here. >> great to be here. >> thanks for having me. >> kelly, these children seem very grounded. you spent time with the first lady. how does she do it? >> part of it is she treats them and tries to give them as normal a life as possible. they have to do their laundry. they have to clean their bathrooms. they have to do chores around the house. then she makes time for sleepovers, for homecoming, going to the movies. all the average things kids do. she even calls up friends and say are they okay?

are they the same? she wants to make sure the white house experience isn't changing them. everyone says they're the same great girls. >> now, teresa, when you look at this picture of the president and his daughters watching the first lady giving her speech at the democratic convention, this is another one of those look behind the curtains. you find the obamas seem to have a genuinely close relationship and it's something that seems authentic that is not staged. >> definitely. there's a warmth with them. i think watching the girls yesterday was like our 21st century obama moment except that they were real. and, you know, they're just normal preteen, teenage girls. they remind me a lot of my own 12-year-old niece. i talked to her about them and asked what she thought. she said they're really pretty, seem down to earth, and they're funny.

i think they're just kids we can relate to. to see young black girls who are so poised and like each other and are comfortable with each other and there's this warmth in the family. it was great. >> and like their parents. but kelly, in your exclusive interview with the first lady last summer, you asked how the family maintains a normal life for the girls. let's take a look at what she said. >> they have handled themselves -- we are so proud of them. they are so poised and normal and decent and loving and all that. but we're they're parents. so i think we think that anyway. so we're always checking with people. i'll check in with the teacher. how are they feeling, anything we need to know, any signs that you see. i just try to keep an open window of communication with teachers so that if they see something that we might miss at school. so we definitely know that, you know, what happens at school is really critical. but, you know, i think it's

working. i'm always knocking on wood. you know, i won't know until -- you know, until it's over. whether this was good. but they seem like they're okay. >> i was caught by that line she said to you there. check with other people and see what they're saying. teachers and others. very interesting. >> it is. because like she said in that piece there. she said mom and dad think they're doing okay. she keeps doing it still. they've been in the white house now for four years. i think she wants to make sure -- and something else, rev. we saw them with the phones. they have conversations with things like how everyone has a cell phone now. and someone could capture a picture of sasha or malia acting out and it could effect them forever. how they have to uphold a public image. >> they have these conversations warning them given the technology of today there's not

a moment they're not under some kind of scrutiny. >> and the girls are aware of this. they are aware they have this public image to uphold. it's daunting if you're a tween or teen. but they're away of it. >> teresa, let me go to you. the president recently talked about how his daughters are getting older. listen to this. >> now that my girls are getting older, they don't want to spend that much time with me anyway. so i'll be probably calling around looking for somebody to play cards with me or something. because i'm getting kind of lonely in this big house. >> teresa, i don't know if he's getting lonely or not, but it is natural as young ladies get older, they tend to want to spend more time doing other things than being under their parents. >> absolutely. one thing is they're so fascinating to watch. i think we'd all like to be able to watch them grow up and see what they're doing as they become young women. but part of being the first

family is insuring these kids have some protection from the public eye. like they're not being scrutinized every second. >> kelly, the politics of this though i'm sure this is not planned from a political vantage point, but it's got to be helpful to be such a wholesome family the way it has appeared at least this first term to the country. >> absolutely. we saw it during the campaign. any time you sort of see them as a family, when you hear the first lady talking about how the president is with the girls and how he likes to spend -- they have dinner together. it humanizes the president and first lady. but it's real. they're not making it up. mrs. obama says the next four years mom in chief is still going to be her first order of business. this is important to them. but i think it humanizes them. and most people even if you don't agree with them politically you have to think they're doing a good job in the

parenting department. >> "essence" did this big journal on the first lady. she is the symbol of being a mother, of being a first lady, and of a black woman of high profile. lot of pressure on her, teresa? >> oh, absolutely. i mean, she's the first lady. she's the first black first lady. and, you know, there's a lot of scrutiny. she's being watched all the time. everything that she does is being picked apart and examined. but she handles it with an incredible amount of grace. our readers can't get enough of her. >> i think you're right that she handles it and your readers can't get enough of her. i'm one of your readers. kelly, teresa, thank you both for your time. have a great night. >> thank you for having me. while we were all watching the president, some republicans were playing some very dirty tricks. that's next. what are you doing?

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